Leo M. “Lee” Schwabacher was born in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States of America on 14th January 1871, the son of Henry and Virginia May “Jennie” Schwabacher (née Ancker). His father was a liquor merchant and Leo was one of about twelve children in the family.
By 1900, he was working as a book keeper at the tavern and boarding house of the Sonneborn family in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was treated as a member of the Sonneborn family. He formed a very close friendship with Henry B. Sonneborn, one of the children in the family, who was around the same age as him.
Henry Sonneborn co-owned a coal business in Baltimore, with his brother, Louis, and became quite wealthy and successful. In 1901, Henry’s father died, leaving him a generous inheritance, and in 1908, Leo’s father died, leaving him an allowance of $10,000 per annum!
From about 1906, Leo and Henry began to travel extensively to Europe, and lived in an apartment in a fashionable part of Paris, France. Henry Sonneborn had ambitions to become a singer, and this was one of the reasons they chose to live in Paris, so that he could get singing lessons. Leo and Henry made almost annual trips back to Baltimore where they would usually stay with Henry’s mother, who resided at 896. Battery Avenue, and later at 2209. Brookville Avenue.
In October 1914, Leo and Henry returned to Baltimore to visit Henry’s family, and also for Henry to conduct business. While in Baltimore, Henry bought a mausoleum so that when the time came, both he and Leo could be laid at rest together!
In the spring of 1915 they decided to return to Paris, and as a consequence, booked saloon passage - with ticket number 14346 through the firm of A. W. Robson, of Baltimore, to travel on the Lusitania’s May sailing from New York to Liverpool.
Having left Baltimore at the end of April, the two friends joined the Lusitania at the
Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her morning departure. Having boarded the liner, they were escorted to their accommodation, B60 which they shared and which was the personal responsibility of First Class Waiter John Roach, who came from Liverpool. Roach was serving as a first class bedroom steward on what was to become the Lusitania’s last ever transatlantic crossing.
The liner’s sailing was delayed until the early afternoon as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for service as a troop ship at the end of April. The Lusitania finally left port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her home port.
Both Leo Schwabacher and Henry Sonneborn were killed as a result of the sinking - perhaps they died together as they had found friendship in life. Both were aged 44 years. As neither of their bodies was ever found and identified afterwards, neither has a known grave.
Waiter John Roach, who had looked after them both in room B60, survived the sinking, however, and eventually made it back to his Liverpool home.
Leo Schwabacher’s extended family claimed compensation for his loss, the claim being submitted to the Mixed Claims Commission for consideration. None could prove that they were dependant in any way on him, and the only award the Commission made, was to award the sum of $5,050,00 to the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company of Baltimore, Maryland, who were executors of Leo Schwabacher’s estate, in compensation for the loss of Leo Schwabacher’s personal belongings in the sinking.
1880 U.S. Federal Census, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2200, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.